Spillover Blessings

Transcript

Alright, thank you very much. And hello again, radio friends, how in the world are you? Yes, I ask that question, number one because I’m interested, and number two because I want to remind us that you can be in the world but you don’t have to be of it. And don’t have to be tarred with the world’s brush just because you live in a dirty world. Jesus can keep you. Hallelujah for that. “You,” Peter says, “You who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” So trust your blessed Lord to keep you and to see you through today and He will. Yes, He will.

Well, this is your good friend, Bob Cook, and I’m glad to be back with you to share from God’s Word. We’re looking into the seventh chapter of the Gospel of John, where our Lord Jesus has just been saying, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. This spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive.”

See, the blessed Spirit of God comes to dwell in your heart the moment you’re saved. Your job and mine is to be filled with the Spirit, which means by faith, open every room in your heart house to the blessed indwelling Holy Spirit of God so He can control you. “And so many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying, said of a truth ‘This is the prophet,'” that would be our idea of the Messiah. Others said, “This is the Christ, but some said, ‘Shall Christ come out of Galilee?'” See, because the scripture says, “Christ comes out of the seed of David in the town of Bethlehem,” where David was. So there was a division among the people because of Him. Ignorant of the fact that He’d been born in Bethlehem, they were arguing over something that had already been settled.

God keeps His promises. And when the prophet said that, “Thou Bethlehem in the land of Ephratah, not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall arise a Governor that shall rule my people Israel.” The prophecy concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus was fulfilled. And God got the whole Roman Empire moving in order to do that. The order that this tax census should be taken had actually come out two years previous, they tell me. But there was some unwillingness in the Holy Land because of the fact that there was a fear on the part of the Roman governor that it might provoke insurrections. And so he sent a message back and said, “Now, are you sure you want this? It might provoke a lot of trouble.” And that message to go its way by land and by sea took a while. And so, actually then it was a year after the edict had been issued that the census was taken in the land of Israel. Just in time for our Lord Jesus Christ to be born in Bethlehem of Judea.

God’s timing is exquisitely perfect. Have you learned that? See, that’s a lesson I have to relearn all the time. I’m sort of an impatient bird and I find myself praying, “Oh Lord, hurry up.” And yet, God’s timing is beautiful. It’s exquisite. It’s perfect. And He’s never early, He’s never late, He’s always on time. Would you trust His timing today? Would you yield your personal schedule to Him? Some of you are praying so hard about matters that affect your heart, and your family, and your loved ones, or your job, or your career, or whatever it may be. And you’re just uncertain about things and you think, “Oh, I wish God would hurry up and give me an answer.” “Wait on the Lord,” the Bible says, “Be of good courage, He shall strengthen thine heart.” God’s timing is perfect. He’s never late.

My good friend, Joe Gunderson, who’s now with the Lord a good many years, a monumental, beautiful figure of a man there in Chicago. Talk about an anchorperson, he was one with a lovely spirit, outgoing, warm, loving, but strong in the Lord and full of good sense. My, what a good friend he was. And we used to share ideas together. And I learned a lot from him, I must say. One of the things that I remember, his saying, he said “You know, when you’re seeking the will of God and you don’t know what it is, it’s because you don’t need to know just yet.” Isn’t that good? “When you’re seeking the will of God and you don’t know what it is, it’s because you don’t need to know just yet.”

Our Lord Jesus said to his disciples, “I have many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them just now. What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.” See, the timing of God is something that you can trust implicitly because He’ll never let you down, He’ll never disappoint you, He’s never late, He’s always on time; so trust your blessed Lord today. Trust Him, don’t fret, and fuss, and fume, but trust your Lord while doing what you know He is asking you to do. See, the key to peace… “These things do,” says Paul, “And the God of peace shall be with you.” The key to an abiding peace is obedience. The key to peace in the midst of pressures is prayer. “Don’t worry about anything,” says Paul in Philippians 4, “But pray about everything and everything by prayer, and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds,” like a garrison of soldiers, that’s what it actually means, “through Christ Jesus.”

So that’s the peace that comes from praying, and relieves pressures and worries, but then he says, “Those things that you’ve seen, and heard, and learned, and received in me, do.” Do, obey, do them. “And the God of peace shall be with you.” The key to peace under pressure is prayer, and the key to peace in life’s living is obedience. And you can trust your God because He’s never late, His timing is perfect. Well, all of that grew out of the argument that the people were having as to whether this was indeed the Messiah, because they didn’t know that He had indeed been born in Bethlehem, they thought that He had been born in Galilee. Well, then came the officers to the chief priests, and they said unto them, the priest said to the officers, “Why have you not brought Him?” See, they’d sent these soldiers to arrest the Lord Jesus and they came back empty handed.

What was the answer they gave? I’m looking now at Verse 46 of John, Chapter 7, “The officers answered never man spake like this man.” If you want to follow that concept out, compare the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ with the teachings of the great philosophers of world history. Now, Confucius, Buddha, any of the great ones, Plato, Socrates, all the way down to Bertrand Russell. Look at the teachings of the great philosophers of world history and compare their teaching to the Lord Jesus Christ, and you know who’s gonna come out miles ahead? You know already, don’t you? It’s your Lord and mine, the Lord Jesus Christ. “Never man spake like this man.” Oh, one of the richest studies you could make. People write me and say, “Where shall I start studying the Bible?” Well, here’s a place where you can start, start studying the things that Jesus taught.

Go to Matthew 5, 6, and 7 for instance; the sermon on the mount. And read in the Gospels, His other statements, His other teachings, and start studying what Jesus taught and you’ll come back saying, soberly, just as did these empty handed soldiers, “Never man spake like this man.” Now, let me draw a little something here by way of a small thought, it’s not in the text, I just bring it in as a side issue. Our Lord Jesus said, “It is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.” We’re talking about speaking now, what you say as a Christian. What did the empty handed soldiers say? “Never man spake like this man.” Jesus said to His disciples, “It is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” What caused the soldiers to come back empty handed? His words. What gives you power, authority, and victory in your situation? His words. You understand me? When God speaks, there’s power.

And you don’t have to give your opinion. You don’t have to build yourself up, no. You know, the essence of public relations, if you’re hired as a public relations firm, you have to create situations where the person you’re building up says something that can be quoted. I did the PR work for Youth for Christ in the early years, that was my job. And I was always saying, “Give me a quote. What do you want to say about this in this situation? What is your comment on this?” Then I would write a newspaper story and in it, there would be a quote. That’s the way they do it in the world, there’s nothing wrong with that. And I want to tell you something, beloved. You don’t have to look for a quote to make you famous. Everything you say under the guidance of the blessed Spirit of God has the authority and power of God on it.

They said of one Christian, many years ago, that he was so full of the Spirit of God that when he said, “God bless you.” God did. [chuckle] Oh listen, that’s what I’m after. How about you? To be so full of the Spirit of God that what you say, everything you say, has overtones of blessing in it. Spill over of divine blessing, “It is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.” “Never a man spake like this man.” You and I stand in the lengthened shadow of that divine Christ whose we are, and whose blessed Holy Spirit dwells within us. And part of the miracle, the continuing miracle of the Christian life is that when you open your mouth to say something, God talks through your throat. Hallelujah for that.

Well, the leader said, “Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed on Him?” This people, this… It’s a contemptuous term, they didn’t love the people to whom they were ministering, they were contemptuous of them. “This people who know not the law are cursed.” A couple of thoughts here. Never determine your religious stance by popular opinion. Never determine your religious position by what other people in leadership are saying and doing. “Have any of the leaders believed on Him?” The answer of course to that rhetorical question was, “No, they haven’t.” Did that prove they were right? Oh no, it only proved that they were dreadfully wrong and mistaken. Never determine your religious position on the basis of what others are saying or doing. You come to God for yourself, you trust Him for yourself. You establish genuine faith and obedience yourself.

Alright? The other is, let’s make sure that you love people, not just work on them. “This people,” those were the folks they were supposed to love and serve, “this people.” Don’t ever get professional to where you’re looking down on people because that’s the beginning of your own downfall.

Dear Father, today, oh may we speak with the power of the Holy Spirit of God who indwells the believer, I ask in Jesus name. Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today and be a blessing!